Nut-cracking machine.



Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

by wwibwe.

knvanbovs H. D. CRAWFORD-8: W. B. KNIGHT.

NUT CRACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1911.

1,037,598. Patented Sept. 3,1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- inventors: Abbasb H.D.Orawf0rd H. I). URAWFORDKi W. B. KNIGHT.

NUT GRAGKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inventor's H.D.Cmawiord Attest Abb'va H. D. CRAWFORD & W. B. KNIGHT.

NUT GRAUKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 19, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

E. D e bx AbEYs.

' the following is a run, clear, ancjgexact dehe accom-" "hurrah era rnera rnnr I orrron.

D. CRAWFORD-AND WILLIAM B. KNIGHfifOF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORSTOR. E. FUNSTEN @RIED FRUIT & NUT COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AGOR- EORATION.

menses.

nor-CRACKING "MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 3, 19123.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, HENRY D. CRAW- rono and l/VILLIAIii- B. KNIGHT,citizens of the United States of America, residingat St..Louis, in theState of Missouri, have mvented certain" new and useful ImprovementsinNut-Cracking Machines,,of which scription, reference being had. topanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a machine ,for cracking ediblinuts, such forinstance as pecans, the invention having for its op ect the productionof a machine'of this ind that is of simple and durable structure and inthe use of which the nutsmay be accurately'adjusted between and in.engagementwith the cracking members irrespective of their lengths, toprovide for the-cracking op; eration without injury to the meat in thenuts.

Figure I is a top plan view of our machine i 'jacent to the forward endof the jaw rod 8- .and rotatable transversely of the machine, thispocket wheel being so supported that the bottoms of the pockets thereinare substantially in the same horizontal plane as ;that occupied by theaw rod 8, in order that when said rod. is moved forwardly, itwill engagea nut alined therewith in a pocket; Eof the pocket wheel. The pocketwheelis with. certain parts in horizontal section. Fig. II is in part aside elevat on and 111 part ,a vertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. III is a front elevation of the self-adjusting device forcontrolling one of the jaw rods and the nut feeding device. Fig. IV isin part an elevation and in part a vertical section of the nut feedingdevice. Fig. V is an inverted plan View showing the bottom of the hopperof the machine and the means for actuating the feed plate op-- erable insaid hopper. Fig. VI is an elevation of the rocker armof the feed Plateactuat ng device and the cam'by which this rocker arm is operated. Fig.VII is an elevation of the cam shown in Fig. VI, looking at its reverseside.

In the accompanying drawings: A designatcs the bed of our machine uponthe rear portion of which is mounted a frame B. The frame B comprisesarms 1,2 and 3 provided with bearing boxes in which the main drive shaftat is j ournaled. The main drive shaft is provided with a power wheel 5'to which power may be applied in any desirable manner.

6 designates a cam wheel fixed to the main drive shaft 4 and provided atone of its sides with aheart shaped cam runway 7, (sec dotted linesFigs. 11 and Vl);

wheel 6, thereby providing for forward and backward movement of the'headblock 10 and the jaw rod 8 during each complete rotation of the camwheel 6.

The jaw rod and head block are held from rotation by means of the guiderod 12 carried by the head block and operable in 'a beari'n .arm 13 ,ofthe frame B in which the jaw ro is also operable. The jaw rod Siscooperable with Ian alining companion jaw "rod between which and the.first named the nuts are im{ pinged and cracked after the adjustment of14 designates a pocket wheel locatedad- Qrotatably supported by a shaft15 jou'rnaled 1n the frame arm 9 and provided at its rear :end with abevel gear wheel 16 which meshes with a bevel gear wheel 17 carried byashaft 18 journaled in thearm 2 of the frame- B and extendingtransversely of the machine.- V .19 isa i lotchedwheel fixed tot-heshaft '18 the second jaw rod, as will hereinafter be fullyexplained.

and located immediately in front ;of the main drive shaft 4.. The maindrive shaft has fixed to it atappet wheel -20 provided with a stud 21,preferably including an anti-friction roller, and which is operable intothe notches in the notched wheel 19 for the purpose of-imparting a stepby step movement to said notched wheel upon each complete rotation ofthe main drive shaft.

The-construction just described provides for the pocketwheeliebeingmoved inter m-ittent-ly in' s uch manner that noon each completerotation of the "main drive shaft said pocket wheel will be rotatedsufficiently to bring the next succeeding pocket therein into alinementwith the jaw rod 8, in order that a nut in this pocket may be properlypositioned to be engaged by the jaw rod. To prevent excessive movementof the pocket wheel each time that it is advanced a step in itsrotation, we place upon the shaft 15 a notched'detent wheel 22 that isengaged by a spring pressed pawl 23.

It will be appreciated that the described devices for imparting step bystep movement to the pocket wheel 14 cause this wheel to be verypositively and accurately moved 15 during the continuous operation ofthe main drive shaft and that there is absolutely no opportunity forfalsev movement or positioning of the pockets of the wheel in alinementwith the jaw rod 8-.

y We will next proceed with the description of the second jaw rod andmeans by which this jaw rod is operated,- and automatically adjustedrelative to the jaw rod 8, commensurate with the lengths of the nutsthat are to be cracked between the jaw rods.

24 designates the secondj aw rod which is located in alinement with thejaw rod 8 and is operable toward the rod 8 into the pockets in thepocket wheel 14. The jaw rod 24 is slidably mounted in an arm 25 forminga part of a frameC mounted on the bed A near its forward end, and saidrod has engagement with the frame C of such nature as to preventrotation thereof. ,In the jaw rod 24, near its outer end, is atransverse notch 24.

26 designates a stub shaft journaled in the frame C and extendinglongitudinally of the machine parallel with the jaw rod 24.

27 is a gravity cam-block fixed to the stub shaft 26, the said blockbeing preferably of sectoral shape, as seen in Fig. III. The cam-blockis provided with an inclined fin or feather 28 which extends thereonobliquely or angularly relative to the axis of the cam-block, and alsorelative to the jaw rod 24, the inclination of the fin being upward andbackward. Thisfin is operable in the notch in the jaw rod 24, and itwill be readily understood that, when the camblock descends from theposition in which it is seen in the drawings, the inclined fin will, bycooperation with the jaw rod 24, move said jaw rod'rearwardly, and thatwhen the cam-block is elevated it will re- ,tract said jaw rod. Thecamblock 27 is adapted to descend by gravity in order that itmay serveto operate the jaw rod in its rearward movement only by virtue of theweight of sthe block for a purpose to be hereinafter made clear. It isnecessary however, to again elevate the cam-block after each rearwardmovement and we will next: describe the mechanism utilized tov elevatesaid cam-block.

The stub shaft 26 has fixed to it a toothed wheel 29 that meshes withthe teeth of a vertically movable rack-bar 30, directed in a guide-wesupplied by an upright member of the rame C. At the rear side of therack-bar 30 is an antifriction roller 31.

32 is a cam-wheel located immediately back of the rack-bar 30 and havinga recess "in its side that faces the rack-bar. A portion of the recessin said cam wheel furnishes a curved cam-wa 33 that is located between aperipheral rim flange 34 and a cam boss 35 surrounded by said recess.The camway 33 occupies only a sector of the cam wheel 32, the remainingsector of the said wheel being so made as to provide a wide space :0between the rim 34 and the cam boss 35 and the axis of the wheel thatwill allow the antifriction roller to move closer to the axis of the camwheel when the space at is lowermost than it does when the camway 33 islowermost. The cam wheel 32 is rotatably supported by a shaft 36journaled in the frame arms 3 and 25 and extending rearwardly intoproximity to the main drive shaft 4. The shaft 36 has fixed to it abevel gear-wheel 37 in mesh with a bevel gear wheel 38 fixed to the maindrive shaft, thus providing for positive and continuous rotation of thecam wheel 32 during operation of 5 said main drive shaft.

39 designates a hopper from which the nuts are delivered to the pocketwheel 14 through a chute 40 extending downwardly beneath a bottom plateextension 39- projecting laterally from the hopper and apertured abovethe .chute 40.

41 is a feed plate rotatably mounted in the hopper 39 and projecting tothe exterior of the hopper .so that it overlies the bottom plateextension 39. The feed plate is apert-ured to receive the nuts from thehopper and conduct them therefrom onto the' bottom plate extension, inorder that they may be delivered through said extension into the chute.The feed plate 41 is provided with a vertical shaft 42 extendingdownwardly through the bottom plate of the hopper and to which a ratchetwheel 43 is fixed.

44 is a feed plate actuating rod provided with a longitudinalslot 45that receives a guide pin 46 mounted in a bracket 47 beneath the hopper39. The actuating rod 44 carries a spring-controlled pawl 48 in en- 12gagement with the ratchet wheel .43 by which step by step movements areimparted to the ratchet wheel and the feedpla-te 41 upon the rearwardmovements of the actuating rod 44. The feed plate actuating rod isconnected at its 'rear end to one end of a bell crank lever 49, theother end of the bell crank lever being pi voted to the frame B. Thebell crank lever 49 is supplied with an antifriction roller 50 locatedintermediate 6O ceive endwise pressure from the aw rods, as

,, of its ends, the said roller being operable in tion to the feed plateactuating rod.

51 are ejectors fixed to the hearings in j which the inner ends of thejaw rods 8 and 24 are guided. These ejectors are'extended from thehearings to which they are fastened through slots in the jaw rods, asseen at 8 Fig. I. The ejectors are of such length within the aw rods asto be projected through the jaws at the inner ends of these rods whenthe rods are retracted, and when so projected, they dislodge any shellsthat may have become wedged in the jaws.-

The nuts to becracked are placed in the hopper. 39, and the main driveshaft 4 having been placed in operation, movement is imparted to thefeed plate actuating rod :4.- whereby the feed plate is partiallyrotated to carr a nut in one of the apertures therein along theextension 39 of the hop perbottom and deposit it into the chute 40through which it descends into a pocket in the pocket wheelnext'adjacent to that in alinenient with the jaw rods of the machine. Itsometimes happens that the nuts become lodged in the apertures in thefeed plate and do not fall therefrom, of their own weight when they arebrought over the chute a0, and to provide for their positivedislodgment, we mount over the feed plate directly above the extension39*, a spring finger 52, the free end of which is so disposed as topress against the nuts when the apertures in the feed plate arebroughtinto registration with the chute. The pocket Wheel 14 has a stepmovement imparted to it during the rotation of the main drive shaft, dueto the driving connection between said main shaft and the pocket wheelshaft, as previously explained,- and the nut that has been deposited inthe pocket wheel is therefore, brought at the proper time into alinementwith the jaw rods 8 and 24.

it is necessary to provide the pocket wheel 14 of our nut crackingmachine with means whereby the nuts deposited in the pockets of thewheel are caused to assume positions parallel with or in alinement withthe jaw rods by which they are to be cracked, as otherwise the nuts areliable to become deposited in the pocket wheel in such mannor as to lietransversely of or partially transversely of the jaw rods and not reisnecessary for the proper cracking actions.

W'e, therefore provide the pocket Wheel with rollers 14, the axes ofwhich extend longitudinally ofthe pocket wheel, and which are preferablyso arranged that there are two rollers at each pocket in the wheel. Thespindles of the rollers l l are equipped with pinions 14c meshing with amaster gear wheel 14 loosely mounted centrally of the series of pinions143, and by which said pinions are driven to rotate the rollers 14. The-master gear wheel and pinions are preferably located within a gearboxing carried by the pocket wheel 14, and said master gear wheel hasfixed'to it. a sprocket wheel 14 operable by a drive chain or belt 14 towhich power is transmitted by a sprocketwhcel 14: lixed' to the shaft36. The mechanism described is constantly in action during the operationof our machine and, as a consequence, the rollers 14; are continuallyrotated to act upon the nuts falling into the pockets of the pocketwheel, whereby said nuts have rolling motion imparted to them andquickly assume positions longitudinally of the wheel and parallel of orin alinement with the jaw rods to be properly presented to the aw rodsat the time they are cracked.

When the pocket wheel 14 has been turned 'to properly position a nut tobe cracked,

the. jaw rod 8 is advanced into the pocket containing the nut, theadvancement being.

due to the cooperation of the cam wheel 6 with the head block 10 at therear end of said jaw rod, and during the forward move ment of said jawrod, there occurs also r0- tation of the shaft 36 positively driven bythe main drive shaft and consequent rotation of the cam wheel 32. Therotation of the last mentioned members is so timed relative to theforward movement of the aw rod 8 that just slightly previousto thecompletion of the forward stroke of said aw rod, the recessed portion 00of the cam wheel 32 1s brought'to such position as will permit thedeparture of the antifriction roller 31 on the rack bar 30 from thecamway 33 into said recessed portion :12 and, as the cam wheel continuesto rotate with the recessed portion a" lowermost, said antifrictionroller is per mitted to approaclnthe axis of the cam wheel, therebyallowing gravitated movement of the cam block 27 previously pre I ventedby reason of the engagement of the cam boss 35 with said antifrictionroller. The cam block 27 at this time rotates in a ;downward direction,a movement that is caused wholly by the weight of the block and, as itso moves, its inclined fin 28 acts to move the jaw rod 24 rcarwardlytoward the jaw rcd S until it has become impinged against the nut thatis to be cracked. This movement. into engagement with the nut isaccomplished irrespective of the length of the nut and it is ooviousthat-the jaw rod 24 will only be moved a distance that is suflicientto'cause the nut to become impinged between the two jaw rods, afterwhich the jaw rod 24: is restrained from backward movement due to theholding effect exerted by the cam block 27 As previously noted, thereleasing operation of tne cam block 27 occurs previous to the nutfracturing movement of the jaw rod 8, efiected by an adjustable pusher 6carried by the cam wheel 6, and the impingement of the nut between thetwo rods is accomplished: before the jaw rod 8 has completed 1ts forwardstroke. This being true, it will be readily under stood that when thenut has been impinged between the two jaw rods ready to be cracked, itmay be fractured to just the proper degree when the'jaw rod 8 completesits stroke without there being excessive cracking operation to injurethe meat of the nut.

The return movement of the jaw rod 8 is accomplished through the mediumof the head block 10 and the cam 6, as will be obvious. The returnmovement of the jaw rod 24 is provided for by re jlevation of the camblock 27, "during which-its fin operates in the notch in said jaw rod.The reelevation of the cam block is effected by the cam wheel 82, therack bar 80, andthe' toothed wheel 29, the latter of which is-associatedwith the cam block shaft. -These parts are brought into operation at theproper time by the entrance of the antifriction roller 31 into the camway 33 in the cam wheel 32, it being apparent that if said cam wheelrotates, the boss 35 thereof will gradually force the rack bar 30downwardly and cause it, by cooperation with the toothed wheel 39, toelevate the cam block 27.

Important features in our nut cracking machine upon which no particularstress has hereinbefore been made are that of the bottom late of thehonner 39 being provided with the extension 39 jutting outwardly fromthe hopper, and the apertured feed plate 41 being operable over thisextension so that it moves within the hopper to receive nuts therefromand moves over the extension exterior of the hopper in discharging nutsthrough the chute 40 to the pocket wheel 14. This construction isimportant, for the reason that it permits access to the feed plateoutside of the hopper, in order that when the apertures in the feedplate become clogged, as they at times do, by nuts of unusual sizes andshapes, these clogging nuts may be readily removed without the necessityof removingthe contents of the hopper, as would be necessary if the feedplates operated entirely within the hopper.

The shells-of edible nuts vary greatly in thickness and strength, andexperience has shown that when the jaws of nut cracking machines arebrought into sudden impact against nuts having tender shells, the meat vof the nuts is broken and mashed, 'due to the slight resistance offeredby the shells. To overcome this undesired result in the use of ourmachine, we provide a resistance device,

1. In a nut cracking machine, a jaw rod,-

and a rotatable gravity member for moving said jaw rod, the said gravitymember being provided with a jaw rod engaging member extending obliquelyrelative to its axis.

2. In a nut cracking machine, a jaw rod, and a rotatable gravity memberfor moving said jaw rod, the said gravity member being provided with afin extending diagonally relative to its axis, and the jaw rod beingprovided with a notch in which said fin is operable.

8. In a nut cracking machine, a'jaw rod, a gravity member provided witha fin operable in said jaw rod and extending diagonally relative to theaxis of the gravity member, and means for reelevating said cam after ithas descended by gravity.

4:- In a nut cracking machine, a jaw rod, a gravity member provided witha fin operable in said jaw rod and extending diagonally relative to theaxis of the gravity member, means for relev'ating said gravity memberafter it has descended by gravity; said elevating means comprising a camwheel, and means connected with said grav said gravity member iscarried, a toothed' wheel on said shaft, a rack bar in engagement withsaid toothed wheel, and a cam wheel for operating said rack bar.

6. In a" nut cracking machine, a pair of jaw rods, mechanism for movingsaid ja'w rods toward each other, a pocket wheel in which the nuts arepresented between said .jaw-rods, a shaft by which said pocketwheel iscarried, and means for operating ,said shaft, comprising a toothedwheel, and a rotative tappet wheel for driving said toothed wheel.

7. In a nut cracking machine, a nut re ceiving wheel, the said wheelcomprising as. componentparts thereof a series of rollers by which thenuts may be rotated While car ried by the wheel, pinions" carried bysaid of said gravity member during the descent rollers, and a, mastergear Wheel by which thereof.

' said pinions are driven to impart rotation H ORAWFORIl H to saidrollers.

8. In a nut cracking machine, a longitu- KNIGHT dinallymovable jaw rod,a gravity member In the presenceoffor moving the said jaw rod, andadjutsable H. G. COOK,

means offering resistance to the movement E. B. LINN.

